Recurring Recap: Room Forty

It was another enchanted evening at the estate, with Room Forty’s ever-gracious staff circulating trays of deviled eggs (expectedly yum), sweetbreads nuggets (tastes like chicken, truly), soy-marinated albacore (better than tartare with flying fish roe), and goat cheese crostini (creamy goodness from Humboldt Fog). The 2006 Di Bruno Pinot Grigio, its stone fruit palate and grape skin nose picking up the flavors in the hors d’oeuvres, was a full-flavored treat.


For our first seated course, a perfectly seared day boat scallop sat atop a caramelized corn risotto, the earthy sweetness of which was heightened by the herbaceous basil oil that garnished the plate. Brown butter foam and Marsh grapefruit supreme balanced the plate with nuttiness and the tiniest bit of acid. The Meyer lemon-scented 2007 Grenache Blanc complemented this delish dish nicely.


Our next course was comprised of a shallow pool of roasted Cherokee tomato soup surrounding a hunk of smoked monkfish and petite mizuna greens with a delightful fennel seed cracker. The sweetness of the soup brought out the velvety tones of the accompanying 2005 Badge Pinot Noir.


The always amazing duck (confit this time) on stone ground grits came as our next course, the crisped skin and shaved fennel tying the flavors together beautifully. Slices of warm black plum matched well with the 2004 Di Bruno Sangiovese that was paired with this dish.


My favorite course was our final savory plate: braised boar shoulder and roasted fingerling potatoes with caramelized brussel sprout halves and bits of popped pork skin (a la chicharrones, fyi). The juicy boar, like porkier pork, was delicious with the 2005 Curran Reserve Syrah. The black forest cake finish of the wine highlighted the creaminess of the potatoes and the juiciness of the boar.

Dessert consisted of a rich chocolate torte topped with cassis glaze and wild blackberry cream piped into little blueberry shapes. There was a collective sigh of delight among my dinner companions when we took our first bites. Exquisite.

Room Forty gave us another superb experience, one that (for all its delectable bites and entertaining guests) they’ll have a hard time topping at the next event.

***Special thanks to Killa Bee and his song, which stayed in my head the whole way home! ☺